With 258 votes in favor from congressmen of all political parties, Congress approved the a new time zone for the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The new zone will put the state one hour ahead of the rest of Mexico in the winter, and up to two hours ahead in the summer.

Instead of loosing daylight at 5:30pm in the winter in Quintana Roo it wouldn’t begin to get dark until 6:30pm in winter and considerably later in the summer months

The initiative was presented for several reasons:
1. Later sunlight hours in the winter would make it easier to participate in different tourist-related activities.
2. The change would create an energy savings of 21,285 – 23,454 megawatts per hour. Local hotels would especially benefit because they represent 60% of energy expenses ($150 million pesos monthly).
3. Banking and business hours would be synced with those on the East coast of the United States (Eastern Standard Time), providing easier transactions and travel between Quintana Roo and the USA.

The new time zone has received immediate reactions on social media. Many are in favor, while many claim that the change favors the state’s tourists above the real needs of the local population.

While the ruling doesn’t specify certain areas of the state, Governor Roberto Borge Angulo confirms that the new time zone will only apply to the municipalities of Isla Mujeres, Lazaro Cadenas, Benito Juarez (Cancun and Puerto Morelos area), Cozumel, Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen area) and Tulum; these are typically the areas that receive the most international tourists. Meanwhile, the municipalities of Jose Maria Morelos, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Bacalar and Othon P. Blanco will remain in the previous time zone.
With this new time zone, the state hopes to increase and streamline tourist activity in the state of Quintana Roo, and take full advantage of daylight hours for destinations like Cancun and the Riviera Maya.